Workers

Most of our domestic airlines continue their rapid downward spiral. Planes have been grounded, flights cancelled, maintenance schedules disregarded, and most disturbingly, incompetent airline management has enacted a “bait and switch” approach towards their consumers that will exacerbate an already bad relationship.

Flyers are now being quoted what appears to be a low price when they book their flight, only to be assaulted with all kinds of fees when they get to the airport. And the impact of these fees extends past financial implications. Charging consumers to check their bags impacts a consumer’s pocketbook, but the even bigger problem is that it will cause more consumers to carry luggage on the plane. This means longer security lines (and most likely shifts a financial burden to the TSAs as they will need more agents to check these bags), and potentially horrendous delays loading passengers. Think about how slowly a plane loads now as people try to stuff huge bags into tiny overheads, and then double the problem! This means more flights will be late, and longer queues on the tarmac. That also means more flights burning fuel on the ground as they wait to take off (wasn’t the high cost of fuel one of the problems?). [click to continue...]

Growing up in Montana, I was surrounded with a community primarily comprised of happy Workers. Most of the people I knew certainly took pride in their work, but they also lived a balanced existence, with reward and guidepost tools that included achieving their professional goals while balancing family and lifestyle issues. Although they were hard workers and did the best job possible during their eight-hour workdays, they put equal effort into finding happiness and balance at home, in their friendships, and in their leisure activities.

Sometimes, they could be Workers in the workplace and Warriors when it came to their families or other passions. They also tended to take their hobbies quite seriously, sometimes even slowing down commerce for the opening of hunting season or some other activity that enjoyed tremendous appeal throughout the community. This “heartland attitude” is typical of the successful middle-to-upper-middle-class of. It also tends to slow down the pace of life, as it necessitates making the time and emotional investment to build the family unit and friendships.

Although making enough money is always important, it is not “the most important thing” in these types of communities. And in these communities, those who have achieved big financial success tend to be much lower key about it, because showing wealth is looked down upon. The financial goal tends to be centered around stability—first achieving security via sufficient savings, owning one’s own house, etc., and then layering on some of the toys (boats, weekend homes).

These attitudes, if managed properly to maximize productivity, can be quite healthy for a company if there is a Warrior or Warriors in the mix to add the necessary aggression needed to maintain growth and innovation. People tend to “job hop” much less, so there is a core of trained people who understand the business. They take pride in years spent with a company, and they are not as susceptible to outside employment offers that would cause friction in the workplace.

Of course, this is in tremendous contrast to the environment one tends to find in the major cities. When I first started doing business in Los Angeles, I was especially struck by how much the social environment really resembles the cliché jokes that are made about it. The entertainment industry has had a negative impact on Workers in Southern California. There is little value placed on stability and relationships. Instead, people are driven by a celluloid version of life, where success is judged by the ability to attain the right car or a low body-fat ratio. It is an environment in which Warriors thrive, because everyone is always looking to do a deal, but it is problematic for Workers, because it tends to emphasize all the wrong motivations. It also creates financial instability for everyone, as people acquire unmanageable debt levels just to own the toys that give them the appearance of success.

In Warriors Workers Whiners & Weasels I discuss several different types of workers, one of which being the Team Worker. Many Workers derive their greatest satisfaction from being a key member of a team. Team Workers are often a wonderful addition to a workplace, because they derive their satisfaction from the achievement of overall group or organizational goals, which often tend to be more aligned with the organization’s needs than personal goals. It is also usually fairly simple to establish and track group goals and benchmarks, as opposed to the more varied individual goals.

Many businesses would also be enhanced with an infusion of some level of shared group goals into the organization to get the operation running more efficiently together, but this is somewhat dependent on the type of organization. In an operation that is highly dependent on cooperation between employees and departments, it is often advisable to establish incentive programs that reward group cooperation and success.

But sometimes this can backfire, because not all organizations thrive on interdependency. Several years ago, I had a highly ineffective manager working for me who used the “team concept” as a mask to hide his own and other individuals’ lack of performance. Although I had encouraged him to set incentive and bonus programs for Workers in his department based on their ability to hit certain performance targets, he fought the idea, explaining that it was more important that his department “work and not be torn apart by internal rivalries.

I allowed him to pursue this type of group motivational strategy, only to discover after a year that his department was overstaffed and unproductive, because individuals were not held accountable for their own performance. Certainly, one should analyze how to motivate Team Workers, and they can be wonderful in the right environment, but they are often not well suited for organizations that emphasize individual achievement.

Many 1970s music fans will remember folksinger Harry Chapin for hits like “Taxi” and “Cats in the Cradle.” During a tremendous career cut short by his death in an auto accident, Chapin released ten albums and toured throughout the world.

But shortly after releasing his first hit album, Chapin decided to use his musical gift and fame to combat world hunger. In 1974, he founded WHY (World Hunger Year), an organization that still exists almost twenty years after his death. He set out to educate people on the issues of world hunger and to raise money to help solve the problem.

Throughout the remainder of his career, Chapin donated much of the proceeds from his tours and record and merchandise sales to this and other charities aimed at fighting hunger. He helped found and fund other hunger charities, including Hungerthon and Long Island Cares.

In 1986, Chapin was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal for his tremendous work. A memorial fund started at his death to continue his work has raised more than $5 million for a variety of social causes that were close to his heart.

Adam Mcfarland, a fellow blogger and entrepreneur recently blogged about what he calls the, "Please Fire Me" worker. Adam describes this type of worker as the employee who does only the amount of work necessary to avoid being fired; this particular behavior commonly occurs right before a employee intends to leave the organization.

Interesting Phenomenon Adam!

In the book I write about the seven categories of workers in business and today I would like to talk more about the Protégé Worker. This is one of the best categories of Workers to develop from a management perspective. Protégée Workers are normally Worker/Warriors-on the- cusps who are seeking Warrior mentors to help them develop into Warriors, or they are simply Workers who derive great satisfaction from their place “on the team.” Both types of Protégée Workers need to be managed somewhat differently.

Protégée Warriors-on-the cusp are seeking education, guidance, and feedback that will assist them in their development. From the Warrior or manager’s perspective, an assessment needs to be made of them to determine if the investment of time necessary to mentor and keep them motivated is available and justified. Some organizations simply do not have the resources or available openings to develop individuals like this. But assuming they do, the Warrior or manager will discover that this type of Worker will be one of their most dedicated, motivated, hardest-working “workers.”

Workers in this category are typically “short term,” however, because they fully plan to utilize their positions to hone their Warrior skills and move up the job ladder. Managers need to be aware of this and give them the opportunity to advance at the proper time; otherwise, you risk losing them to a competitor, or worse, having them transform into a Whiner (or even a Weasel), because they may begin to experience frustration at their lack of advancement. Luckily, Protégée Workers are not always intent on becoming Warriors; otherwise, we would be without a terrific classification of Workers. Many Protégées simply prefer to serve an individual or small group, as opposed to being motivated by the accomplishments of a large organization. They tend to be community oriented as opposed to global in perspective, and they are usually the most nurturing types of individuals to work around. They derive much of their motivation and satisfaction by being a valued assistant or member of a small team. They typically have great appreciation for the talents of their coworkers, and they prefer to regard their workplace almost like an extended family. They potentially work in almost any job, but they seem to thrive in assistant and support service positions, as team players. They are usually there when you need them, happy to put in the long hours necessary to get the job done.

Because they are so agreeable to work around, the manager needs to be careful not to forget about fulfilling the needs of the Protégée Worker. Kind words and compliments go a long way, and because Protégée Workers are typically not clamoring for attention the way other Workers might, a manager needs to periodically give them an ego infusion and make sure their compensation stays in line with their duties and performance. Because they are usually part of a team, the manager needs to allow Protégée Workers to share in the credit for team achievements, even if they were very much “in the back office.” A kind word or a pat on the back for a job well done goes a long way with this personality type. This type of Worker also tends not to complain, but if neglected, Protégée Workers will eventually move on or sometimes be transformed into Whiners.

Workers are sometimes more successful in their careers than Warriors because they tend to take fewer risks, and if they do end up in the right position, they are often rewarded well. For example, I know brilliant Worker attorneys who have built great practices as the backbones of their firms. They might not be the Warrior rainmakers that bring in the clients, but they put in sixty- and seventy-hour weeks to ensure that their firms keep their clients. There are thousands of successful Worker engineers, architects, doctors, professors, and small business owners. The computer and dot-com revolution has created a boom for the digitally minded Worker. Individuals who just a few years ago would have been relegated to low-paying jobs in graphic design, accounting, and engineering firms now find their skill sets in tremendous demand, placing them at the highest ends of the pay scale. There are similar examples in most industries.

If you are a Warrior, the most important component to assist you in achieving your goals will most likely be a dedicated team of Workers to back you up, and accordingly, it is crucial that you take steps to foster your team and understand the mind-set of a Worker. If you are a Worker seeking to maximize your career potential, it is always a good idea to align yourself with successful Warriors, because they most likely provide easy channels of advancement for you. Warriors tend to build relationships with key Workers that transcend a single job position.

In fact, almost half of the management team in my current company has worked for me at some time previously. A few years ago, I acquired a company based on the fact that I had worked with many of the key staff almost twenty years ago and still remembered how talented they were! During my career, I have been fortunate enough to build a key team of Workers and Worker/Warriors-on-the-cusp that allow me to function properly. Because I have the backing to deliver on the promises I make to clients, business partners, and investors, I can utilize my Warrior tools properly without the fear I will under-deliver.

Whenever I tell people about this book, it ultimately leads to the question – “so what am I – a Warrior or a Worker?”. Of course, nobody every assumes they are a Whiner or a Weasel, (though I estimate that at least 10% of the time they should be looking at the less than desirable categories). Luckily, I don’t have to socialize with many Whiners or Weasels. And since a lot of my friends tend to be successful entrepreneurs with strong Warrior tendencies, much of the time I can answer “well of course you are a Warrior”.

But as I consistently point out in the book – it is not more honorable, or even necessarily more desirable to be a Warrior as opposed to a Worker. It just sounds more prestigious and perhaps a little sexier. Plus, Warriors tend to live in bigger houses and drive better cars. But don’t let that sway you. Certainly Warriors are the driving forces behind successful operations. They never take no for an answer. They persevere, they innovate, they win most of the time through sheer force of will and proper use of their Warrior tools. And when they do it right they bask in the glory and accomplishment, as well they should. But they are worthless without a team of dedicated and talented workers to deliver on their vision and promises. And often the Worker gets the best end of the deal, as a Warrior’s life is often filled with stress and dissatisfaction – since the status quo is often not good enough.

And I guarantee you – if we really were a world primarily populated by Warriors it would be a pretty miserable place to live in. Envision a relaxing softball game with the Navy Seals versus The Green Berets. Worker’s Rejoice.

Buy Warriors, Workers, Whiners, and Weasels at Amazon.

The backbone of any company is the Worker—the dependable soldiers who take direction from the Warriors and make things happen.  Great companies always have great Workers.  It is certainly possible for a great Worker to become a Warrior, though it isn’t healthy for all of a company’s Workers to be aspiring Warriors. There is tremendous honor and value in just  being a Worker.

Workers understand their essential role in society, and they also tend  to live the most balanced life among the four categories. Great Workers take tremendous pride in their craft, be it building jets, answering phones, driving a truck, designing microchips, writing legal briefs, or managing a large staff.  Workers come in every shape, size and economic category;  they perform duties that range from the mundane to the complex.

Being a Worker is not a badge of social stature or intelligence, and  Workers are in no way inferior to Warriors. They simply occupy a different and equally important place in the big scheme of things. They tend to  be a contented lot, having mastered the balance of career, lifestyle, and the  outside activities they enjoy. And they also share some of the attributes of  the Warrior. They take responsibility for their actions and pride in their  achievements.  They always strive to be the best they can be, and to be  acknowledged as “best in category” at whatever they do. They are team  players and understand the concept of “loving the one you’re with” to  collectively achieve success.  They are the support system that almost all  Warriors require to be successful.

Buy Warriors, Workers, Whiners, and Weasels at Amazon.